Key Takeaways
- Avery Dennison invested $75 million in Wiliot to expand its sensor technology portfolio and accelerate the adoption of Physical AI in global supply chains.
- The deal establishes Avery Dennison as Wiliot’s preferred commercial partner, combining passive Bluetooth Low-Energy (BLE) and RFID technologies to enhance data visibility across the retail, logistics, and food industries.
Avery Dennison announced on April 28 a $75 million minority investment in Wiliot, a global leader in Physical AI for supply chains. The strategic investment deepens the long-standing partnership dedicated to creating a more intelligent, transparent and connected world.
The investment reflects Avery Dennison’s commitment to delivering differentiated value to its customers by expanding its portfolio of sensor technologies and solutions, and it demonstrates the company’s conviction in Wiliot’s technology, according to company officials.
As part of this investment, Avery Dennison will serve as the preferred inlay design, manufacturing and commercial partner for Wiliot. The two companies will significantly strengthen and expand their joint go-to-market efforts to accelerate the adoption of digital identities on physical items across key industries including retail, logistics and food.
Why the Investment by Avery Dennison
Francisco Melo, president, intelligent labels technologies and digital solutions for Avery Dennison, said the deal is a result of their company believing in the power of passive Bluetooth Low-Energy (BLE) and the significant opportunity to expand our portfolio with the solutions from Wiliot.
“BLE is a complementary technology to RFID. It increases the total addressable market and allows us to provide a broader set of solutions for improved visibility and condition monitoring for our customers, unlocking important data sets not possible before,” said Melo in a statement. “With our strategic investment in Wiliot, we meet growing market demands to create value by connecting the physical and digital worlds.”
Wiliot CEO on Deal
Building on its solutions expertise in RFID and leveraging Wiliot’s technology, Tal Tamir, co-founder and CEO of Wiliot, noted Avery Dennison is positioned to solve some of its customers’ most complex challenges through the use of multiple complementary sensing technologies. The requirement for accurate data delivered through sensor technologies is becoming increasingly important as businesses look to AI to automate processes and drive efficient decision making.
“Avery Dennison is a global leader in digital identification solutions and the premier partner in the design, manufacturing and go-to-market capabilities for Wiliot at the scale required to realize accelerating demand,” said Tamir. “This investment from Avery Dennison and growing partnership across our teams is transformational for the adoption of Physical AI.”
Avery Dennison will receive a seat on the Board of Directors for Wiliot with the investment, in addition to its existing Board Observer position.